Smart Women, Smart Power

Host Beverly Kirk talks to Bonnie Glick, the former Deputy Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The pair discuss USAID’s digital strategy, the future of 5G in emerging markets and the threat of Huawei, and the role USAID plays in contributing to global network security. 

Beverly Kirk spoke with Dana Perino, anchor of The Daily Briefing, co-host of The Five on FOX News Channel, and former White House Press Secretary for a Smart Women, Smart Power event. The pair discussed the outcome and aftermath of the 2020 election, its potential impact on U.S. national security, foreign, and domestic policy, and her advice for starting a career in Washington. This event was sponsored by Citi.

Host Beverly Kirk talks to Vice Admiral Linda Fagan, Pacific Area Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard, about Arctic security, the threat of illegal fishing to maritime security, and Coast Guard operations and readiness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Host Beverly Kirk talks to Charity Wallace, Managing Director of Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), about how the 2X Women's Initiative's investments are empowering women economically and helping their businesses survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

Host Beverly Kirk talks to "Vote Girl Vote" co-founder Kate Howard about her organization's effort to tell the stories of all the women who fought for the right to vote so that they are not lost to history. 

Nina Easton, CSIS senior associate (non-resident) moderated a panel discussion on the opioid epidemic in West Virginia and the impacts of Covid-19. She spoke with West Virginia First Lady Cathy Justice, Elaine Wynn, Board Chair, Communities in Schools, and Michele Blatt, West Virginia Deputy Superintendent of Education. This conversation is part of the Smart Women, Smart Power speaker series sponsored by Citi.

On the final episode of the PONI Pathbreakers series, host Beverly Kirk talks with Ambassador Susan Burk, former Special Representative for Nuclear Nonproliferation, and Dr. Rebecca Davis Gibbons, assistant professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine and associate at the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard’s Belfer Center. They discuss the future of the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and their trailblazing careers in the nuclear community.

On the fourth episode of the PONI Pathbreakers series, host Beverly Kirk talks with Rose Gottemoeller, the former deputy Secretary General of NATO and Heather Williams, a lecturer in the Defence Studies Department and Centre for Science and Security Studies at Kings College London, about the future of arms control treaties and the impact current events have had on the relationship between the United States and its allies.

On the third episode of the PONI Pathbreakers series, former Sandia National Laboratories Director Jill Hruby and Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden, Senior Engineer in the National Security Analysis Department at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab talk about being pioneers in their careers, nuclear proliferation, and great power competition.

On the second episode of the PONI Pathbreakers series, host Beverly Kirk talked about the role of Congress in nuclear policy with Madelyn Creedon and Augusta Binns-Berkey. They also discussed their careers and how nuclear policy fits into broader domestic issues. Madelyn is a part-time research professor of International Affairs and Chair of the Nuclear Security Working Group at George Washington University and a non-resident senior fellow at Brookings. Augusta is currently a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The views expressed in this episode do not reflect those of their respective institutions.

On the first episode of the PONI Pathbreakers series, host Beverly Kirk spoke with Erin Dumbacher, senior program officer for the Scientific and Technical Affairs program at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and Suzanne Spaulding, senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at CSIS. They discussed cyber deterrence and nuclear security, and their career experiences in a rapidly changing field. You can learn more about Erin’s work at NTI here and Suzanne’s work at CSIS here.

Valerie Jarrett, board chair of When We All Vote; co-chair of The United State of Women; and senior advisor to former president Barack Obama, spoke with Beverly Kirk about the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the importance of political participation, especially among young voters, and the changing tides of gender equity in America. This conversation is part of the Smart Women, Smart Power speaker series sponsored by Citi.

Host Beverly Kirk chats with British Army veteran Angela Owen, founder of Women in Defence UK, about the importance of female representation and gender balance in Britain’s defense community, how her organization is engaging individuals and challenging businesses to achieve these goals, and how the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting the British armed forces and defense sector. 

CSIS senior scholars Dr. Alice Hunt Friend and Shannon Culbertson discuss lessons learned as government officials dealing with the 2012 Benghazi attacks and the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey.

CSIS senior adviser Suzanne Spaulding hosted the discussion on how the pandemic and global responses will impact democracy, privacy, and trust in government across the world. The panelists were Ms. Camille Stewart Esq. (New America), Dr. Lainie Rutkow (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) and Dr. Susanna Campbell (American University). Watch the full event here.

Host Beverly Kirk moderated the discussion on how and why this pandemic might change how the United States approaches its foreign policy, relations with allies and competitors. The panelists were Dr. Jennifer Bouey (RAND), Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper (Stephen A. Schwarzman Senior Fellow for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations), and Dr. Kori Schake (American Enterprise Institute). Watch the full event here.

Host Beverly Kirk moderated a virtual Smart Women, Smart Power event with Jen Klein and Rakeen Mabud of TIME’S UP and Rachel Vogelstein of the Council on Foreign Relations. The group discussed how women are disproportionately affected by Covid-19, and how response efforts and policies need to incorporate a whole of society approach. This event was sponsored by Citi.

CSIS senior fellow Alice Hunt Friend hosted the 2020 Future Strategy Forum discussion on Covid-19's impact on military readiness, ongoing operations, and civil-military relations, including the use of the military in domestic crises. The panelists were Dr. Risa Brooks (Marquette University), Ms. Pam Campos-Palma (former U.S. Air Force), Ms. Mackenzie Eaglen (American Enterprise Institute), and Dr. Mara Karlin (Johns Hopkins University SAIS and Brookings Institution). Watch the full event here.

The Honorable Michèle Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, joined CSIS’s Hon. Kathleen Hicks, PhD for a virtual keynote discussion during the 2020 Future Strategy Forum. The pair discussed the security issues surrounding Covid-19 from China and North Korea to disinformation campaigns.

CSIS's Melissa Dalton, Counterpart International's Mehreen Farooq, and Laura Rosenberger of the German Marshall Fund discuss the need for the U.S., Canada, and their allies to develop a more coherent strategy for security partners in conflict situations. The CSIS project on Capacity Building in Hybrid Environments is made possible by the generous support of Canada’s Ministry of Defence.